Taxi drivers tell council to be tougher on Uber/Lfyt

Drivers for taxi companies raise their hands after an Austin City Council member asked who had done a fingerprint background check during discussion about ride sharing services Uber and Lyft at an October meeting. The Austin City Council takes up fingerprint checks and other regulations again on Thursday. DEBORAH CANNON / AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Taxi drivers have launched a full-court press on the Austin City Council as it prepares to take up an ordinance regulating so-called transportation network companies, better known as Uber and Lyft.

“When it comes to the safety of Austinites, Uber shouldn’t get a free ride,” Dave Passmore, a spokesperson for the Taxi Drivers Association of Austin, said in a statement released Wednesday.

“The time is now for the City Council to pass common-sense measures, including mandatory fingerprinting of drivers, which will protect our neighbors and ensure good jobs are kept in Austin.”

The full text of a letter delivered to Council Members from the taxi union is below. Passmore also sent us a commentary on the topic, which can be found here.

The Austin City Council is scheduled to take up regulations on Thursday, including fingerprint-based background checks by law enforcement of people who driver for Lyft, Uber or other transportation network companies. That regulation is just one among many in an ordinance before the Council, but it is the one that has drawn the most fire from Uber and Lyft, which have threatened to pull out of the Austin market should the council pass it.

That approach would test the viability, security and efficiency of fingerprint checks, similar what San Antonio has done, versus the third-party checks done by Uber and Lyft. Monitoring and tracking the data would give the city information about consumers who use Uber and Lyft and whether they are choosing drivers with both security checks over drivers with only Uber/Lyft background checks.

Expect a showdown on the issue on Thursday at City Hall, where taxi drivers and Lyft and Uber drivers are expected to show up in big numbers. Here is the letter from the Taxi Drivers Association of Austin:

Dear Council Members-

We urge you to continue to stand strong in the face of Uber’s expensive campaign against any sort of regulation for TNCs. For the safety of TNC passengers, for Austinites stuck in traffic, for the environment, and for the livelihood of full-time professional drivers like ourselves- it is very important that we continue to implement common sense measures like those being considering on Thursday. We all know that implementation requires mandatory- not voluntary- compliance.

Furthermore, YOU MUST NOT STOP HERE! In order to provide safe service for ALL residents (with and without smart phones), TNCs must compete with taxis on a level playing field in terms of pricing- Council sets taxi meter rates and we cannot change them; TNC drivers should complete an application for a chauffer’s permit like any other ground transportation provider; in order for drivers of taxis and TNCs to make a livable income and for the City to address environmental and congestion concerns, the number of vehicles on the road cannot be unlimited.

One detail we’d like to mention on the question of Trade Dress being discussed this week: we propose that TNC’s be required to display a minimum 12″ x 12″ marking on all four sides of the vehicle. It is very important for passengers and authorities to be able to recognize a TNC vehicle, especially given reports of drivers impersonating TNCs to assault passengers and TNCs making illegal pickups as taxis.

We thank you for your support so far, and we will see you on Thursday at City Hall.

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